Great Loughshinny Air Crash 1913

In the early days of aviation in the year 1913 Lord Northcliff's 'Daily Mail' offered a prize of £5,000 to the first airman who would fly all around the British Isles. The total distance was of 1600 miles to be completed in 72 hours. 

The only competitor to take part was an Australian, Harry Hawker and his mechanic named Kauper in a 100 h.p. Sopwit Seaplane. Everything went well up the East Coast of England and across Scotland and the Irish Sea but while flying down the east coast of Ireland towards Dun Laoghaire, the plane went out of control and crashed into the middle of Loughshinny Bay. 

The two airmen were rescued by local fishermen but when they returned the next day to rescue their plane they discovered that it had been completely stripped at low tide by souvenir hunters.